NY State Senate Bill 2021-S1853

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

View Actions

Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Apr 25, 2022	defeated in elections
Feb 28, 2022	notice of committee consideration - requested
Jan 05, 2022	referred to elections
Jan 16, 2021	referred to elections

Votes

- Apr 25, 2022 - Elections Committee Vote
  S1853
  
  Aye
  
  2
  
  Nay
  
  4
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  1
  
  Abstained
  
  0
  - - Elections Committee Vote: Apr 25, 2022
      
      aye (2)
      
      Rath III
      
      Ritchie
      
      nay (4)
      
      Kavanagh
      
      May
      
      Mayer
      
      Myrie
      
      excused (1)
      
      Brouk

2021-S1853 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A4901
Current Committee:: Senate Elections
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §5-210, El L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S7324, A8625
2023-2024: S386, A1960, A6038
2025-2026: S1299, A4402

2021-S1853 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Enacts the voter registration integrity act; requires a birth certificate, passport, certificate of naturalization or citizenship, evidence of New York state residency, or any other documentation that the board of elections determines establishes United States citizenship.

2021-S1853 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S1853

SPONSOR: BORRELLO
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the election law, in relation to enacting the "voter
registration integrity act"

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

The purpose of this legislation is to ensure that newly registered
voters are citizens of the United States.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 names the bill the "voter registration integrity act."

Section 2 amends section 5-210 of the election law by requiring first-
time voter registration applications to include a birth certificate
establishing U.S. citizenship, a valid U.S, passport, a certificate of
naturalization or citizenship, or such other documentation that the

state board of elections determines establishes U.S. citizenship.

Section 3 amends section 5-210 of the election to include documentation
of U.S. citizenship.

Section 4 provides that this bill would become effective 60 days after
it becomes law.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Fundamental to a valid democracy is that those who run the country as
elected officials are elected by those who are citizens of the country.
Otherwise, those who are illegally in the country or are not citizens
would be able to help elect federal, state, and local public officials,
whose loyalty to the citizens of the country might be compromised.

New York State currently does not require any documentary evidence of
U.S. citizenship for new voter registrations. The boards of election
require applicants for voter registration to provide a driver's license
number or the last four digits of their social security number, but
neither number proves U.S. citizenship because driver's licenses will
now be issued to illegal immigrants and social security numbers are
available to noncitizen immigrants who are in the United States with a
temporary work visa or noncitizen permanent residents with a "green
card."

This legislation will correct this glaring weakness in the New York
voter registration process by requiring documentation of U.S.  citizen-
ship. These documentation requirements are not difficult or onerous, and
are similar to the documentation requirements that applied to new driver
license applications that apply to lawful residents.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2020: S.7324/A.8625 Referred to Elections

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

The board of elections will incur additional staff and computer expense
to ensure that appropriate documents are submitted as part of the voter
registration process.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect 60 days after it becomes law, although the
state board of elections could immediately begin adopting necessary
rules and regulations to implement the provisions of the law.

2021-S1853 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1853
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 16, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. BORRELLO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections
 
 AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation  to  enacting  the  "voter
   registration integrity act"
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as
 the "voter registration integrity act".
   §  2.  Section  5-210  of  the election law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 5-a to read as follows:
   5-A.  IN ADDITION TO DOCUMENTATION OF NEW YORK RESIDENCY, THE BOARD OF
 ELECTIONS SHALL REQUIRE THAT EACH FIRST-TIME VOTER REGISTRATION APPLICA-
 TION INCLUDE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
   (A) AN ORIGINAL OR CERTIFIED COPY OF A BIRTH CERTIFICATE  ESTABLISHING
 UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP;
   (B) A VALID UNITED STATES PASSPORT;
   (C) A CERTIFICATE OF NATURALIZATION OR CITIZENSHIP; OR
   (D)  SUCH  OTHER  DOCUMENTATION THAT THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS DETERMINES
 ESTABLISHES UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP.
   § 3. Clause (D) of subparagraph (viii) of paragraph (k) of subdivision
 5 of section 5-210 of the election law, as amended by chapter 536 of the
 laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   (D) a copy of a  current  utility  bill,  bank  statement,  government
 check,  paycheck  or  other  government document that shows the name and
 address of the voter; AND
   (E) IN ADDITION TO DOCUMENTATION OF NEW YORK RESIDENCY, A COPY OF  ONE
 OF THE FOLLOWING:
   (1)  AN ORIGINAL OR CERTIFIED COPY OF A BIRTH CERTIFICATE ESTABLISHING
 UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP;
   (2) A VALID UNITED STATES PASSPORT;
   (3) A CERTIFICATE OF NATURALIZATION OR CITIZENSHIP; OR
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD04500-01-1

 S. 1853                             2
 
   (4) SUCH OTHER DOCUMENTATION THAT THE BOARD  OF  ELECTIONS  DETERMINES
 ESTABLISHES UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP.
   §  4.  This  act  shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary  for  the  implementation  of
 this  act  on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
 on or before such effective date.

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Senate Bill S1853

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

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Votes

Apr 25, 2022 - Elections Committee Vote

Elections Committee Vote: Apr 25, 2022

2021-S1853 (ACTIVE) - Details

2021-S1853 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2021-S1853 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2021-S1853 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

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Sponsored By

George M. Borrello

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

Actions

Votes

2021-S1853 (ACTIVE) - Details

2021-S1853 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2021-S1853 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2021-S1853 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments